This evening I had dinner at my former residence, St. John’s College. The last time I was at the College was probably in late August but I hadn’t eaten there since September of 2005. I was graciously hosted by Ian, who secured me a voucher for the meal.
Dinner is exactly the same as it was the last time I ate there. Everything is laid out right where I remember it. Though, I guess there is one addition. The soups for the evening are now listed on a small chalkboard instead of being printed out a piece of paper.
Even though we’re almost a month into the school year, the new residents are apparently still getting used to being efficient in the lineup. Someone pointed out to me how a long line forms right at 6:15pm even though not that many people are going to dinner. The problem is the n00bs are taking too long in getting their salad which causes huge delays. If you’re taking more than 30 seconds to fill your salad plate, you need to get your ass moving. You current and former SJC people know what I’m talking about.
The meal itself was quite pleasant. I had chicken cordon bleu with home fries and mixed vegetables. I didn’t have room for soup but I would have taken the salmon with vegetable. My salad consisted of mixed greens, topped off by an Italian dressing and some walnuts. For dessert, I had an excellent slice of lemon cake.
There are still quite a few people I know at the College but the new faces far outnumbered the familiar ones. Oh yes, the dining room and the food might not change but every year, the new people move in. It’s weird to think I ate three years worth of dinners there. That’s a lot of meals eaten off a plastic tray.
And just like old times, I stayed from 6:15pm to 7:45pm. Out of old habits, I felt like I had wasted too much time at dinner and wanted to rush back to my room to read a paper or finish an assignment. Instead, I got in the car and had a pleasant drive back home.